Dowsing is the Practice of Detecting Resources or Objects Beneath GMAT Reading Comprehension

Reading Passage Question

Dowsing is the practice of detecting resources or objects beneath the ground by passing handheld, inert tools such as forked sticks, pendulums, or metal rods over a terrain. For example, dowsers typically determine prospective water-well drilling locations by walking with a horizontally held forked tree branch until it becomes vertical, claiming the branch is pulled to this position. The distance to the water from the surface and the potential well's flow rate are then determined by holding the branch horizontally again and either walking in place or backwards while the branch is pulled vertical again. The number of paces indicates the distance to the water, and the strength of the pull felt by the dowser correlates with the potential well's flow rate.

Those skeptical of dowsing's efficacy point to the crudeness of its methods as a self-evident reason to question it. They assert that dowsers' use of inert tools indicates that the dowsers themselves actually make subconscious determinations concerning the likely location of groundwater using clues derived from surface conditions; the tools' movements merely reflect the dowsers' subconscious thoughts. Further, skeptics say, numerous studies show that while a few dowsers have demonstrated considerable and consistent success, the success rate for dowsers generally is notably inconsistent. Finally, skeptics note, dowsing to locate groundwater is largely confined to areas where groundwater is expected to be ubiquitous, making it statistically unlikely that a dowsed well will be completely dry.

Proponents of dowsing point out that it involves a number of distinct techniques and contend that each of these techniques should be evaluated separately. They also note that numerous dowsing studies have been influenced by a lack of care in selecting the study population; dowsers are largely self-proclaimed and self-certified, and verifiably successful dowsers are not well represented in the typical study. Proponents claim that successful dowsers may be sensitive to minute changes in Earth's electromagnetic field associated with variations in subsurface conditions. They also claim that these dowsers have higher success rates than geologists and hydrologists who use scientific tools such as electromagnetic sensors or seismic readings to locate groundwater.

The last two claims were corroborated during a recent and extensive study that utilized teams of the most successful dowsers, geologists, and hydrologists to locate reliable water supplies in various arid countries. Efforts were concentrated on finding groundwater in narrow, tilted fracture zones in bedrock underlying surface sediments. The teams were unfamiliar with the areas targeted, and they agreed that no surface clues existed that could assist in pinpointing the locations of fracture zones. The dowsers consistently made significantly more accurate predictions regarding drill sites, and on request even located a dry fracture zone, suggesting that dowsers can detect variations in subsurface conditions.

‘Dowsing is the practice of detecting resources or objects beneath the ground by passing handheld’ is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.

This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 7 comprehension questions.

The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed for the purpose of testing candidates’ abilities in understanding, analyzing, and applying information or concepts. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.

Solutions and Explanation

1. Which one of the following most accurately describes the primary purpose of the second paragraph?

(A) to add detail to the description presented in the first paragraph
(B) to offer two perspectives that are synthesized into a new perspective presented in the final paragraph
(C) to present arguments against which the third paragraph presents counterarguments
(D) to explore in detail the ramifications of one claim made in the first paragraph
(E) to clarify the issues on both sides in a dispute that the third paragraph attempts to resolve

2. According to the passage, dowsing's skeptics acknowledge which one of the following?

(A) A few dowsers have shown considerable and consistent success.
(B) Dowsing techniques are generally rejected by scientists.
(C) Successful dowsers are not well represented in the typical study of dowsing's efficacy.
(D) Successful dowsers may be sensitive to minute changes in Earth's electromagnetic field.
(E) Each dowsing technique should be evaluated separately.

3. The reasoning in which one of the following is most analogous to an argument explicitly attributed to dowsing's skeptics in the passage?

(A) Some weather analysts claim that no one can forecast the weather a week ahead with better than 40 percent accuracy, but some computer models have been known to perform with more accuracy than that.
(B) Some people claim to have seen ghosts, but very few of these people can adduce even the smallest piece of credible evidence to support their claims.
(C) Some musicians perform so well that their performances have been said to express a pure, innate talent, but such performances are in fact due to years of very intense practice.
(D) Some people claim to be able to sense where the area's good fishing spots are, but the lakes in the area are so loaded with fish it would be difficult not to pick a good spot.
(E) Some people have memories of participating in historical events in which they did not actually participate, but this does not prove that they have been reincarnated.

4. The author of the passage would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements about the results of the groundwater-locating study discussed in the final paragraph?

(A) The results suggest that geologists and hydrologists would likely be of little service to any groundwater-locating effort.
(B) The results leave open the possibility that dowsers can sense minute changes in Earth's electromagnetic field.
(C) The results prove conclusively that dowsing is the most dependable technique for finding water in arid countries.
(D) The results demonstrate that dowsers are most successful in their efforts to locate groundwater when they use tools that are typically employed by geologists and hydrologists.
(E) The results do not help to refute skeptics' arguments, because the results provide evidence for dowsing's efficacy in only one type of terrain.

5. The passage provides information most helpful in answering which one of the following questions?

(A) When was dowsing first employed as a means of locating groundwater?
(B) Is the success of dowsers affected by rainstorms that may have saturated the ground in the area being doused?
(C) What proportion of successful dowsers use forked sticks in locating groundwater?
(D) Is dowsing ever utilized to try to locate anything other than water?
(E) What are some of the specific surface clues that can indicate the presence of groundwater?

6. The passage provides the most support for inferring which one of the following statements?

(A) Narrow, tilted fracture zones in underlying bedrock are more likely to be found in arid regions than in other regions.
(B) There are no reliable studies indicating that dowsers are consistently able to locate subsurface resources other than groundwater.
(C) A dowser attempting to locate a dry fracture zone would not use the same tools as a dowser attempting to locate groundwater.
(D) Geologists and hydrologists participating in the groundwater-locating study described in the final paragraph could not locate a dry fracture zone upon request.
(E) The groundwater-locating study described in the final paragraph was not a typical dowsing study.

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